Help! I have been told that I am over
reacting, but I can't help it. I have
always been a one woman man. I have only
been in a few relationships and I have
been tested clean for years.
This past weekend however, I had sex with
a prostitute. I regret this decision for
many many reasons however one is really
killing me as far as my mental health.
I had protected sex and there was no
condom breakage or anything. However, I
had a fresh toenail cut (big toe), about a
half a centimeter wide (the kind when you
cut too deep into your nails). I am not
sure if it was bleeding though but it was
about 15 minutes fresh. I was also in
the tub bathing. The prostitute sucked
on my toes for a few seconds before I
realized what was happening. I didn't
think it was a big deal at the time, so I
eventually washed up (my toe) about 5
minutes later.
I did not see any visible blood in her
mouth, but I wasn't exactly giving her a
dental exam either.
It has almost been a week now, but ever
since, my visions of horror have been
growing. What are the chances that I now
have hiv?
I have started to get "hot" during the
afternoons and evenings. These hot
episodes go away after an hour or two.
It feels like a sudden rush of getting a
cold but then I end up feeling normal
after the episode goes away. I am so
stressed out! Am I stressed out for
nothing?
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Finess150
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Apr 2005 Posts: 191 Location: Kent, UK
Thanks: 1
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Cut On Toe Posted: 05-19-05 06:21am
Hi,
your risk from hiv in the scenario you
describe is extremely low, and in my
opinion does not warrant testing. I say
this based on the following -
- there is an insufficient quantity of
the hiv virus present in saliva to cause
infection (this is why kissing is
considered safe).
- the cut you describe does not sound
severe enough to be a viable route of
transmission (consider that many medical
professionals have concluded that minor
cuts on the fingers are not viable entry
points for hiv during fingering for
example - an acitivity which involves
vaginal fluids, which have much more of
the virus than saliva). If it was not
bleeding, then this suggests that the
wound is not really fresh. But I cannot
confirm this since it is difficult to
judge how bad your cut was.
- it is very unlikely that any blood was
present in her mouth at the time
- if you had protected sex, and the
condom did not break, infection is pretty
much impossible.
Try not to worry, but just take a test to
put your mind at ease, but remember this
must be at least three months after the
episode for it to be accurate. Chances
are, she wasn't hiv+ anyway. If you read
www.Thebody.Com,
you'll see that the advisers, who are
experts in the field, assert that the only
worrisome scenarios for hiv are
unprotected vaginal, anal and much more
rarely, oral sex, as well as needle
sharing, breast feeding and needlestick
accidents. Your scenario is not included.
Good luck, but I strongly doubt you'll
need it.
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rewrew8
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 3
Thank You Fitness150! Posted: 05-19-05 07:42am
Thank you for your advice! I plan on
getting some tests done for stds this
week. I will definitely take the hiv
test in aug (3 months out) to be sure.
This helps a lot... I have been
stressing over this situation. Thank
you.
Btw... The cut on the toe was deep enough
for bleeding, however, there was no blood
at the time because either my blood was
slow to get out to the surface (pin hole
cuts) or the water was constantly washing
the blood out. To give you an idea, the
cut was deep enough into the nail that it
hurt everytime I took a step. However,
it's all healed now. I hope this doesn't
change anything!
Thank you again.
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Finess150
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Apr 2005 Posts: 191 Location: Kent, UK
Thanks: 1
Thanked:0
Welcome Posted: 05-19-05 14:21pm
I'm glad to have helped you in this time
of worry. I know very well how worry can
take over.
Just remember that in the history of hiv,
unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, rarely
oral), needlestick accidents, drug sharing
and breast feeding are the only documented
routes of transmission. While this does
not definitively conclude that these are
the only routes, it should bring some
perspective on your situation.
I have read that such 'pin hole cuts' are
not quite enough for infection to be able
to take place. If you consider a
needlestick injury, the puncture will have
to go quite deep and thus reach critical
blood vessel areas for hiv to transmit - I
understand that such accidents carry
approximately 0.3% risk. But again, do
not consider this as absolute fact, but
rather educated analysis of the facts we
do know.
You'll be fine. Saliva doesn't transmit
hiv.
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Good Advise
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 105
Infection Posted: 05-19-05 22:55pm
You did catch a condition from the toe
incident. It's called anxiety! At
times, it could present itself with more
powerful symptoms compared to hiv. You
have no hiv, will not get hiv from what
you described and it would have to snow in
miami before you contract hiv!
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rewrew8
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 3
Thank You Posted: 05-21-05 22:12pm
Thank you all for your advice. Anxiety
is a powerful disease as well. I have
started to get some of the hiv symptoms
(fatigue, loss of appetite, loose stools
and few white spots on my tongue).
However, I read that these symptoms can be
from a lot of other things. Do you have
any idea why I may have these symptoms?
I keep trying to convince myself that
these symptoms are from anxiety... But
the white spots on my tongue?!?
Freaking out again (a little bit)!
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Finess150
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Apr 2005 Posts: 191 Location: Kent, UK
Thanks: 1
Thanked:0
Symptoms Posted: 05-22-05 10:19am
Now i'm sure you know what medical experts
say about hiv symptoms. Yes, you can't
diagnose hiv based on any symptoms. Since
your situation carries negligible risk, I
ask you to consider this - when we are
worried about our bodies, we automatically
beign to focus on everything that goes on,
and never let little things that happen go
unnoticed. I have done it myself. If
there is a pain in my neck, for example, I
may decide that my lymph glands are
flaring up. If I feel tired, I may
presume that this is the fatigue
associated with hiv. The point is, your
body probably does such things all the
time in its normal course of proceedings,
but when you're not thinking about it, you
won't notice.
Also consider this - if indeed you have
been infected with hiv by having your toes
sucked, you will be a medical first, and
the entired knowledge of hiv will have to
be reconsidered. After 25 years of
intensive research, alongside the millions
of similar episodes which have taken place
in every one of those years without a
confirmed infection, i'd say you've more
chance of recieving a proposal of marriage
from president robert mugabe.